WELCOME TO THE

DuPage Birding Club

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ABOUT US

A Brief Overview of the DBC

Founded in 1985, the DuPage Birding Club is nationally known as one of the largest and most active birding groups in Illinois. Our mission is to promote birding among our 400+ members
and the general public through field experiences and education that focus on the various habitats in DuPage County, the greater Chicago area, and other regional hotspots.  We welcome birders of all skill levels and interest.

ABOVE: Phothonotary Warbler. Photo by Diann Bilderback.

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THE DUPAGE BIRDING CLUB IS

Promoting birding in DuPage County and the greater Chicagoland area.

Join us in making birding an experience!

Winter/Spring 2026 Photo Contest Winners(opens in new tab)

 

MEETINGS

Learn from guest speakers and members at our meetings.

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FIELD TRIPS

Join us on one of our 100 plus field trips each year.

Upcoming Trips

BIRDING DUPAGE

Explore DuPage County birding hotspots and resources.

Explore Hotspots

DBC on YouTube

Mini-Tutorials

Identify your warblers, cuckoos, thrushes, owls, blackbirds, ducks, and more.
View ID Tutorials

Birding Basics

Learn about bird identification basics, binoculars, migration, and more.
Learn About Birds

Birding by Ear

Hone listening skills for thrushes, flycatchers, grassland birds, and more.
Learn Songs and Calls

Upcoming Meeting

September 10, 7:00pm - In Person and via Zoom

Topic: Breaking the Cook County Big Year Record – Twice!

Presented by Birder Tarik Shahzad

Location: College of DuPage and Zoom

The Big Year – one of the ultimate challenges for avid birders is to commit to finding as many species of birds as possible in a defined geographic area for one year. The area could be your yard, a local nature preserve, a county, or even the American Birding Association Area of Canada and the United States. Completing a Big Year requires commitment, planning, perseverance, lots of time, and a little luck. Hollywood even made a feature film about a big year several years ago.

Our September speaker will be Tarik Shahzad, a local Chicago birder who completed two big years in a row in 2024 and 2025. Not only did he complete two big years in Cook County, but he broke the record number of birds seen in a year in 2024 and then broke his own record again in 2025. Tarik saw an amazing 296 species in Cook County in 2025 finishing with a flyover Whooping Crane in Northbrook to break the record for the second time.

Tarik will present a program documenting his record-breaking year which will be illustrated with photographs of the birds he saw during his Big Year journey. The program is sure to be informative and inspiring for all birders and may ignite a spark in someone to attempt a Big Year in DuPage County.

Tarik Shahzad is an avid birder in the Chicago area. When not birding, he works for The Nature Conservancy Chicago’s office on conservation issues and natural areas preservation. He has indicated that one motivation for completing a Big Year is that it provides platform for him to promote the need for natural areas preservation and habitat management, as well as bird conservation.

Join us in person at College of DuPage or tune in via Zoom on September 10th at 7:00 pm.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/t2YS0GW9RLmG12277hNRgg

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Upcoming Field Trips

Registration May Be Required

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Announcing DBC’s Winter/Spring ‘26 Photo Contest Winners!

August 4, 2026
The winners of DBC's Winter/Spring '26 photo contest have been finalized, and the winners have stunning photos and even more interesting stories around their photo captures. Check out their photos and past winning entries for ...
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Recent News

DBC to Sponsor Danada Fall Festival: Volunteers Wanted!

September 1, 2026
DBC will host a table at the Danada Fall Festival, which will be held October 11, 11 am-5pm, at the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton. If you have a couple of free hours to join us at our table and talk with people, we’d love your help. This annual festival attracts up to 10,000 visitors so it promises to be a busy day! The festival includes equestrian shows with riders in costume, horse drawn hayrides, an art show of approximately 200 art and photo exhibits, activities for the children, and food and entertainment. If you’d like to volunteer, contact mwarner2543@gmail.com.
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Wingspan Game Day Goes Quarterly!

September 1, 2026
Our first two Wingspan board game days have been so successful that we’ve decided to make a regular quarterly schedule! Enjoy an afternoon playing games with your DBC friends. Wingspan is a beautifully crafted game, where each player has several wildlife habitats in which to attract a variety of birds with unique characteristics and abilities. Players collect food, lay eggs, and draw birds from cards with stunning illustrations and interesting facts. It blends education with strategy, in an enjoyable atmosphere. You do not need to know how to play. We will teach you. If you know how to play, you […]
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DBC Book Club Next Read – The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

July 31, 2026
Now let’s get ready for a fascinating true-crime story as you journey into the underworld of plume peddlers and fanatical hobbyists obsessed with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying as we read The Feather Thief  by Kirk Wallace Johnson. In 2009, a young American musician named Edwin Rist stole hundreds of rare bird skins from the British Museum of Natural History, many painstakingly collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Charles Darwin. The gorgeous feathers these rare birds sported were worth large sums of money to the men who shared Edwin’s obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Years […]
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2026 Spring Bird Count Results

July 5, 2026
Joe Suchecki – DuPage County Compiler The annual Spring Bird Count was conducted on Saturday May 9, 2026, when over 100 DuPage birders spread out across the county to participate in this statewide event. The weather during the count was just about perfect with mild temperatures and fair skies. With good conditions, our very skilled DuPage birders were expecting a good count for the day. In all, birders tallied 180 species and over 25,000 birds for the count. The 180 species was slightly above the average number of species seen over the last 20 years and tied the results from […]
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SAVE THE DATE: Birding and Breakfast, August 22nd

July 1, 2026
Please join us for a bird walk and casual breakfast at the West Shelter at Blackwell Forest Preserve, Saturday, August 22nd. All birders and potential birders are welcome! This is a great time to get together and relive highlights of your summer birding experiences with others who share your interest in birding and the outdoors.  The bird walk starts at 7:00 a.m. at the West Shelter located on the left side of the Main Drive south of the Mount Hoy Parking lot. Breakfast will follow at 9:00 a.m. and will consist of fresh fruit, bagels, donuts, juice, coffee, and more. […]
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